Generally, a fluted casing hanger is used to support casing inside a wellhead. The annulus between the outside of the fluted casing hanger and the inside of the wellhead must be sealed off. It is old, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,546, to use a resilient squeeze-type sealing element that is locked into the annulus and squeezed into a sealing relationship. However, in the past, the seal assembly required high forces to set the seal into a sealing position. Furthermore, when the seal was squeezed into a sealing relationship the resilient seal was frequently extruded out of the sealing area. And frequently the soft resilient seal was damaged when moving downhole in a well.
The present invention is directed to an improved sealing assembly and seal which overcomes the above-named problems as well as having the ability to set a seal into a sealing position with less actuating force, has a seal which retains energy or spring-back, has the ability to be retracted with low unseating load, and the ability to move the seal into first sealing position with a low loading and thereafter allowing the hydraulic pressure used in the seal test to move the seal to a final seating position.